This scholarship is awarded in memory of LTJG Sterling G. Gilliam Sr., a native of Franklinton, N.C., who served honorably during World War II in the Pacific theater. Upon completion of his military service, he returned to civilian life in Henderson, N.C., and like so many of his generation, raised a family, shaped a community and helped build this great nation. He strongly supported education in his community until his death in 1972.